


run, mark. run!

by cherrywave



Category: NCT (Band), WayV (Band)
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Children!markhei, Haunting, M/M, Mark Centric, Mentions of Death, Nightmares, Psychological Thriller, inspired by the haunting of the hill house, mentions of manipulation, mentions of trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-24
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27175555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrywave/pseuds/cherrywave
Summary: Mark adored Busan but on the back of his mind, rotting and infecting his thoughts, he didn’t really like being around this place. He was easily reminded about his summer home, The Halyeok Manor, where his nightmares and the haunting began.
Relationships: Mark Lee & Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Mark Lee/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14
Collections: Challenge #2 — tricks; treats; and terrors





	run, mark. run!

**Author's Note:**

> title not affiliated to forrest gump.
> 
> warnings ! 
> 
> all of these were tagged but for safety measures,
> 
> tags: haunting, mentions of death, mentions of manipulation, mentions of trauma, childhood trauma, nightmares, mark centric, inspired by the haunting of the hill house, psychological thriller.
> 
> happy reading !

Numb. Mark’s cheeks were numb from the cold breeze of the Dawn. He had been on the field since sunrise practicing for the track meet. He was representing his school, and the sportsfest was in Busan. Mark adored Busan, he loves to travel and immerse in different cultures and lifestyles, but he also thought of something else. On the back of his mind, rotting and infecting his thoughts. He didn’t really like being around this place, he was easily reminded about his summer home, The Halyeok Manor, where his nightmares and the haunting began.

The harsh blow of the air crinkled against Mark’s windbreaker. He narrowed his eyes as he tried to listen to the reporter’s question.

The reporter leaned in, mic in hand, and asked him: “What made you decide to be a track runner, Mr. Lee?”

\---

If one could describe Mark’s family, calling them rich isn’t much of a false statement. Every summer, for a week, they reside in a manor in Busan. Mark was an only child but his parents brought Xuxi with them, a family friend’s son.

“Why is Xuxi coming with us?” the ten year old Mark asked. Normally he’d be ecstatic to have him on the trip but Xuxi was bugging him lately. “I don’t want him, he’s always just sad and gloomy now.”

His father leveled with him. “Can you keep a secret?”

Mark shook his head. “You told me secrets are lies-”

“Just this time,” his father emphasized. “Think of it as white lies, something we keep to ourselves, since we don’t want to hurt others.”

Mark nodded, his palms sweaty as he dug his fingernails deeper.

“Xuxi’s parents, you see. Some people come back and sometimes they don’t for various of reasons.”

“They’re dead,” Mark replied. “Xuxi told me already. That’s why he’d been crying non-stop.”

His dad stood frozen before nodding. “That’s why we’re bringing him with us. We need to be supportive and give him love.”

Mark thought it was funny at that time, Xuxi didn’t need anyone else to love him, he needed his parents back, so Mark decided to reunite them as soon as possible.

To Mark, Xuxi was a paperclip, being distraught and vulnerable, he was easy to manipulate into something he wanted.

“And last night, I saw a ghost near my bed. I tried to scream but I couldn’t,” Mark explained in too much detail to Xuxi.

Xuxi sniffed and scratched his red puffy eyes. “How do you feel now? Are you still scared?”

“Of course not,” Mark scoffed. “They were… nice. They gave me toys, and candies, and… uhm chocolates-”

“I… I saw one too!” The corner of Mark’s mouth lifted as he successfully lured Xuxi into his trap. A lonely kid will believe anything they’re scared and envious of.

“Really?” Mark acted surprised. “What did they look like?”

Xuxi pondered for a moment. “Well, he looked like my dad,” he said rather quietly.

“Cool, let’s talk to him! I have the ‘luigi board’-”

“We can’t. I tried to but I can’t. He only comes out at night, knocking on the window, telling me to go outside. I tried to find him during the day but I couldn’t. I even tried to fake a nightmare, because maybe, they’ll come true.”

Mark dug his fingernails on his palm once more. He knew Xuxi ever since, and he was someone who couldn’t lie. Xuxi was never the storyteller, and Mark got goosebumps on how believable they are.

“Are you sure?” Mark asked, putting his rain boots on.

Xuxi nodded, it’s been a while since Mark saw him smile. “My dad told us to wait in the forest.”

“Okay,” Mark replied. His heart was beating fast once they successfully sneaked out of the house. Holding a big flashlight, and holding Xuxi’s hand on the other, they both walked to the forest through the heavy rain.

The petrichor was strong as they travelled deep down the forest. Xuxi was walking too fast for Mark to catch up. The weather didn’t help either since the moon was covered by the clouds, so the night blanket draped over the horizon.

“Wait!” Mark exclaimed as he held the ground of support, the place was too uphill for him. “Xuxi!”

Mark made it to the top and Xuxi was nowhere to be found. He called him once more. “Xuxi! Come back!”

“Let’s go, Mark! We don’t have much time!” Xuxi shouted back, followed by a lightning that showed him where he was.

Xuxi was already far ahead, on his way to another hill. Mark tried to run after him but he stumbled in his rain boots and scratched his knee on a branch.

“Ouch!” he exclaimed. “Xuxi, come back! Don’t leave me here! Let’s go back tomorrow, please.” he continued.

Mark sat on the dirt for a while, shaking in the cold and frightened whenever a thunder occured.

“Xuxi, please,” he said softly. “Let’s go back, I’m sorry.” he continued as he tried to crawl to him.

After a while, Mark believed that he was close to where Xuxi was. The rain has passed and all he heard was the cicadas and himself.

“Where are you?” Mark asked. He wanted to go home but he didn’t want to leave Xuxi here as well. It was a stupid idea, he pondered to himself. Now, he had to find Xuxi to avoid getting into trouble.

Mark was too into his thoughts but a single noise broke it, a long scream and a loud thud. He immediately stood up and looked around. “Xuxi! I’m here!”

He waited for a response but what he got was a presence in his right side, making his skin crawl and his arm hair rise. He looked to see a disfigured face close to him.

It’s voice was deep and threatening. “Run, Mark. Run!”

Mark sprinted back, his tiredness was gone and his heart beating fast. He was running out of breath but he knew that if he stopped, he’ll regret it. He made it into his house and he ran up to his room. He jumped in his bed and hid under the covers.

‘Sleep. Sleep! Goddamn it!” he whispered under his breath. He took a peek out of his blanket, the disfigured man was standing on the edge of his bed, he was impaled by a sharp item and his face was ruined but Mark knew that it was looking straight at him.

\---

“Mark, wake Xuxi up,” his mother said on the dining table.

Mark shook his head, grasping the glass of his orange juice.

“What do you mean? Why are you shaking your head?” his mother asked once more.

“Xuxi,” Mark started. He gulped his juice to push down his guilt. “When I woke up, he’s gone.”

Mark watched as several people in uniforms searched the forest. A lady had interviewed Mark about what he knew the night before.

“He never told me anything,” Mark said.

“How about his behavior? Was something off about it?” the lady asked and Mark looked up to his dad.

“He has been sad lately, his parents just died from an accident,” his father explained.

The lady nodded, writing a couple of phrases on her clipboard. “We’ll do our best.”

Mark held his mother’s hand tightly as they followed the search party.

“We’ll find him,” his mother assured him.

Mark knew they would, and that’s what he was scared of. The possibility of Xuxi being alive made Mark dizzy, he could expose him for lying and leaving him in the dark. His train of thoughts stopped once they reached a familiar trail, it was the steep hill.

He struggled breathing as they approached the trail where he last saw Xuxi. A rescue crew shouted for back up and everyone rushed there. Mark ran fast to see if he was alive but when he got there, there was a well and people were looking down on it. 

Inside was a small boy, his face was disfigured but Mark knew from the clothes, it was Xuxi. His stomach turned, and his eyes burned. He felt a pair of arms hug him close. He rested his head on his father’s shoulder. 

“It’s all your fault.”

A voice caught Mark’s attention so he looked up, it was the same man he'd been seeing. Mark got out from the hug and he ran fast since the man seemed to be following him. At one point, he was close to touching him, just a few seconds away from contact, his arms were sticking out, Mark noticed.

Once he got back to the Manor, he was distraught. He ran up to the grand foyer and looked down. He didn’t know what to do. He wondered if jumping over was the best idea right now. He chewed on his nails, he was scared of the authorities figuring out that he knew something about Xuxi’s case. He was ten years old, what else would have he done?

Mark heard the familiar words, it rang in his head.

“It was all your fault,” the man said. Rage and resentment were visible in his voice. Unhinged from yhe events that unfolded, Mark gained courage to push him off the ledge.

Since then, Mark hasn’t seen the man, except in his dreams.

“Mark?” the reporter called.

“Sorry,” he said as he looked around, “What was the question again?”

The reporter repeated, “What made you a runner?”

However, Mark couldn’t focus, his vision was fixed on the man behind the reporter. The same man he thought he’d only see at night. 

“Leave me alone, please!” Mark exclaimed before he ran away.

His coach, Mr. Seo, followed him to his tent.

“What happened?” coach Seo asked.

“I don’t think I could do it,” Mark said, vision blurring from the tears. “I feel sick,” he said, his mouth pooling from the excessive saliva.

“Jitters?” coach Seo asked. “The competition is tomorrow, I bet it’ll go away.”

Mark tried to understand and explain what he felt but nothing was coming out. He can't tell anyone because he’s scared that they’ll find him crazy.

“Xuxi,” he blurted out.

“Who’s Xuxi?” coach Seo asked, catching Mark's mumbles.

“He was a friend,” Mark said. “but he disappeared, and we found him dead-”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” coach Seo said.

“And I think he's haunting me. Every nightmare was with him.”

“You're being hunted?” coach Seo reiterated to which Mark nodded. “We have different beliefs about the deceased, personally I don’t believe in them, but if you do, I suggest making peace with them, with Xuxi.”

“How?” Mark asked.

Coach Seo shrugged his shoulders. “That’ll be up to you.”

\---

Mark didn’t get what coach Seo said so he kept thinking about it. He was up the whole day. Once he saw the sun rise, he dressed up and took the bus to the Halyeok Manor.

It was a long ride from there and his phone kept buzzing, it was coach Seo wondering where he was but Mark didn't care. He arrived at the manor, yellow tape all around it and Mark entered it. No one seemed to have lived here for years after they left so he felt at ease.

Once he entered the house, the place was dusty and in poor condition. The statues’ conditions were rusty and dull. Mark wondered where Xuxi could be so he went up to their old room, reminiscing the times where he and Xuxi slept together but he couldn’t find him there. 

Mark tried to look for him in the forest, once he got to the trail, he felt sick again. He got goosebumps as he reminisced once more. 

As Mark reached the place, it was full of torned down yellow tape. He looked down on the well but it was filled with muddy water. Mark sat down on the grass, screaming Xuxi’s name in hopes that he’d show up so he could make peace with him, but Mark brushed the thought of it. 

He was suddenly mad at Xuxi, it was an emotion easier to show rather than guilt. He tried to stop Xuxi from going further, and he did it to himself. He looked at the well once more, uttering the words.

“It’s all your fault.”

Mark repeated the words to himself as he returned back to the manor. He tried to remember where he saw the disfigured man and he remembered pushing a ghost of the ledge. Once he got up to the foyer, he looked around for him.

“It’s all your fault,” he said once more. “You did this to yourself Xuxi. Stop haunting me!’ he exclaimed. 

“Just show yourself, please!” Mark exclaimed, he felt a presence next to him.

He then felt a hard blow on his side, pushing him off the ledge, Mark screamed as he fell, reaching for support before he came into contact with the grubby ground floor, and a statue crashed down that pierced his stomach.


End file.
